Via Chicago, known for its Chicago-style deep dish pizza, has been open on NE Alberta since 2013, and at the PSU Farmers Market since 2010. But soon, owners Tonya Mayhew and Kevin Reynolds will open a Via Chicago pizzeria to the old Cereus PDX space there on the corner of NE Prescott and 15th Avenue.
First, Cereus
Cereus PDX opened in summer of 2022, offering “worldwide cocktails” and tasty Latin American food. There was a nice variety on the menu there—ceviche, empanadas, arepas, grilled salmon, plus great cocktails—boozy or not. I enjoyed sitting out on the patio there, having a meal.
In 2023, they closed, with a sendoff of critical thoughts from Bradley Thomas Stevens, one of the owners of Cereus. He lamented many of the things we continue to see in the Portland restaurant world—rising costs of ingredients, a plea for help from city hall, and sadness in having to close after fighting the good fight. Here’s an excerpt:
“James Beard is the “Oscar[s]” of restaurants, the highest of honors for our industry. James was a Chef from Oregon. We don’t have a Statue of Liberty or a Space Needle. We don’t have Disneyland or the Hollywood culture. What Oregon has is some of the best locally owned restaurants and bars in the country. If we want to continue having these amazing small businesses we need to start asking our government officials how they can help them continue to exist and hopefully thrive. It’s not even close [to] the margins of success between the small local company and the giant wealthy chain. (And even some of the giants are failing).”
Enter Via Chicago
I was very happy to see that this nice space is going to have a new tenant (empty storefronts are no bueno) that has great things to offer. But the context was not what I was hoping for. I reached out to Tonya to ask if this was a second location or a move.
It’s the latter: “Our lease was not renewed after 12 years,” she explained.
She continued, “We decided to keep going despite the terrible economy. We are very much looking forward to being in a more neighborhood environment. The space is great and so far all of the neighbors have been very welcoming.”
The Via Chicago Menu
Tonya said that they are hoping to keep our same menu/concept going—with a few new additions. Currently, Via Chicago offers, of course, pizza, but also garlic knots, meatballs, a variety of salads, and sandwiches (including a grinder and an Italian beef). You can get pizza by the slice (including a vegan option) or the whole pie.
They also accommodate some dietary restrictions and choices. Any pie can be made vegan with housemade tofu ricotta (free) or with Daiya cheese for an extra three bucks. Gluten-free pies (medium and large) can also be made.
And while it’s not a dietary restriction, you can get ranch on the side—a Midwestern favorite that has become not uncommon in Portland.
The Stuffed Spinach Pie
One of the variants of Chicago-style pizza is the stuffed pizza (I first got to know this variant at Zachary’s in Berkeley and Oakland, CA, where all they make is stuffed pizza). At Via Chicago you can get one, and it is stuffed with spinach and three cheeses: asiago, mozzarella, and parmesan. The Merc wrote about this “gargantuan pizza” in 2016.
When You Can Have a Meal at Via Chicago on NE Prescott
UPDATE: I spoke with Tonya at the SW Portland Sunday Parkways event on May 18 (Via Chicago had a stall there), and she said they were opening on Monday, May 19. Going forward, it looks like they plan to operate 7-days a week, starting at noon. Closing times will be Tuesday to Thursday, 9pm; Friday and Saturday, 10pm; and Sunday and Monday, 8pm.
They’ll also use the outdoor seating on the patio there, same hours as the dining room. They applied for a full liquor license, so everything from cider to cocktails will likely be on the menu.
While we wait for their move to NE Prescott, you can still enjoy their pizza up on NE Alberta and at the PSU farmers market—and they have been participating in Pizza Week! Their slice is “Chicago Own Kim Chi,” a vegetarian pizza with kimchi, scallions, and gochujang sauce on it.
Via Chicago [opening May 19, 2025]
1465 NE Prescott Street, Portland
Via Chicago website | Instagram | Facebook
Updated May 19, 2025.
Meg Cotner
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A thing to note, this is the second restaurant to leave that strip on Alberta– GrindwitTryz left last year to open in Cully. Their old restaurant space is still unoccupied on Alberta. I hope the landlord gains some awareness when two spots back-to-back in the heart of Alberta go unoccupied for another year because they are turning the screws on rent and resting on their laurels that Salt and Straw and Bollywood would want to stay put. I’ll really miss having a one-two punch of Chicago deep dish and Detroit style on the same block, but I’m more enticed on having a deep dish and enjoying a wine afterwards at 1856 in the same lot, now.
That’s a good point about GrindwitTryz, so thank you for pointing that out. Bollywood is closing their location on SE Division and expanding their hours on Alberta, so I suspect the landlord got a shot in the arm of confidence for that decision. As for the new location for Via Chicago, I recommend stopping into neighboring VilleVelo Bakeshop for a slice of quiche and some other things – I used to get theirs when Rocky Butte Espresso Bar was open (RIP), and after they closed I went to the source instead. It’s been a little while, but I really do love their quiche action. On the other hand, I do not like their parking lot – I find it too hard to get out of (YMMV), so I just park on the street.